Power line communication system and method

ABSTRACT

The last portion of the electrical distribution system is used to provide high-speed communications to residential homes. An aggregation point interfaces a medium voltage power line with a point-of-presence, and a power line bridge enables flow of communications signals between the medium voltage power line and a low voltage power line across a distribution transformer.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. Pat. application No. 09/835,532 filed Apr. 16, 2001 (2171-013), now U.S. Pat. No. 6,958,680 which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/197,615 filed Apr. 14, 2000, all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

INTRODUCTION

The present invention relates generally to the field of digital communications. More particularly, the present invention relates to transmission of digital information via power lines.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIG. 1, a typical electric power distribution system having half loops 10 is illustrated. These half loops 10 are fed medium voltage (MV) power from the sub station. Medium voltage is in the tens of kilovolts range. A typical configuration has transformers 20 that step MV power down to low voltage (LV) power, low voltage being between 100 and 240 VAC. Each transformer 20 will typically feed LV power to several customers 30.

The half loop 10 uses cable that is either underground, which feeds pad-mounted transformers, or aerial cable, which feeds pole-mounted transformers. The transformers 20 step the MV down to LV. These transformers 20 are designed to work at very low frequencies (50-60 Hz typical) and do not allow high frequencies (greater than 100 KHz) to pass through. Each transformer 20 supplies several homes to the home electric utility meter 32, which is typically mounted on the outside of the home. Within the home, concentrated at the breaker panel 34, a web of electrical wires delivers the power to the outlets 36.

What is needed is a way to use this topology to deliver high-speed communications to residential homes in a cost effective way. Applications for such communication systems include high speed Internet, telephony, video conferencing and video delivery.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide high-speed communications via an electrical distribution MV to LV topology.

It is another object of the present invention to provide high-speed Internet service via an electrical distribution MV to LV topology.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide telephone and fax service via an electrical distribution MV to LV topology.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide video conferencing service via an electrical distribution MV to LV topology.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide video delivery via an electrical distribution MV to LV topology.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide residential and business security services via an electrical distribution MV to LV topology.

The present invention is a means of using the last portion of the electrical distribution system for high-speed communications to residential homes. An aggregation point interfaces a medium voltage power line with a point-of-presence, and a power line bridge enables flow of communications signals between the medium voltage power line and a low voltage power line across a distribution transformer.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

Additional objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent in the following detailed description read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing figures.

FIG. 1 illustrates topology of a typical electric power distribution system.

FIG. 2 illustrates topology of an electric distribution system modified to provide for communication, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram of an aggregation point according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates a block diagram of a power line bridge according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

According to the present invention, the power delivery system is divided up into three communications channels when configured for high-speed communications:

-   -   1. the MV half loop,     -   2. the LV connection from the transformer to the home, and     -   3. the wiring within the home.

Referring to FIG. 2, a modification of the existing power distribution system for communications delivery is illustrated.

The first channel (the MV cable) 10 has the least amount of noise and least amount of reflections. This channel has the highest potential bandwidth for communications. This is important because it is the channel that concentrates all of the bandwidth from the other channels. The type of signal used on this channel can be almost any signal used in communications (CDMA, TDMA, FDM, OFDM to name a few). A wideband signal such as CDMA that is relatively flat in the spectral domain is preferred to minimize radiated interference to other systems while delivering high data rates. The first channel is fed by the AP (Aggregation Point) 110.

Referring to FIG. 3, a block diagram of an AP according to an embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. The AP 300 communications to the outside world via the Point Of Presence (POP). The backhaul to the POP can utilize any type of technology, such as optical fiber, copper, or a wireless link. The Backhaul Interface 310 connects the outside world to the MV modem 320. The MV modem 320 modulates/demodulates the data so that it can be transmitted over the MV cable. The isolator 330 is used as an extra safety measure since the voltages present in the system are relatively high. A preferred isolator structure is based on opto-coupling. The MV coupler 340 is used to prevent the medium voltage power passing from the MV line to the rest of the AP's circuits 310, 320, 330, while allowing the communications signal to pass to/from the AP 300 from/to the MV line.

The second channel (the LV connection from the transformer to the home) and the third channel (the wiring within the home) have noise present from electrical appliances and reflections due to the “web” of wires. These channels can support a lower bandwidth than the MV (first) channel and they need a more intelligent (i.e., with more overhead) modulation schemes. There are several companies with chip sets to achieve good communications for LANs (local Area Network) such as: Adaptive Networks (Newton, Mass.), Inari (Draper, Utah), Intellion (Ocala, Fla.), DS2 (Valencia, Spain) and Itran (Beer-Sheva, Israel). These devices would work well for the LV channels.

Referring to FIG. 4, a block diagram of a Power Line Bridge (PLB) according to an embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. The PLB 400 shown, interfaces between the MV line on the primary of the transformer and the LV line on the secondary of the transformer. The MV coupler 410 is used to prevent the medium voltage power from passing to the rest of the PLB's circuits yet allowing the communications signal to pass to/from the PLB 400 from/to the MV line. The MV isolator 420 is used as an extra safety measure considering that the voltages present in the system are relatively high. A preferred Isolator 420 structure utilizes opto-coupling. The MV modem 430 modulates/demodulates the data so that it can be transmitted over the MV cable.

The data from/to the MV modem 430 is passed to the Data Router 440. The function of the Data Router 440 is to prioritize and gather packets from all of the LV side devices and pass them on to the MV side. The LV modem 450 modulates/demodulates the data so that it can be transmitted over the LV lines, this function utilizes powerline LAN chip set technology, as mentioned above. The LV isolator 460 and the LV coupler 470 serve the same function as the MV isolator 420 and the MV coupler 410, but on the LV side.

On the LV side of the transformer, the PLB 120 communicates with the Powerline Interface Devices (PLIDs) 136 at the customer location 130. A PLID 136 can have a variety of interfaces to the subscriber's equipment 138, 139. Some examples are RJ-11. Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS), RS-232, USB, and 10. Base-T. A subscriber can have multiple PLIDs 136 on the same internal wiring.

A system as disclosed herein is useful to provide data services to the residential market place at 10 Mbps. This makes an entire new range of applications practically available. Each device that is connected to the power would (if desired) have an address and would be accessible remotely. Some examples include remote utility meter reading, Internet Protocol (IP)-based stereo systems, IP-based video delivery systems, and IP telephony.

The present invention has been described in terms of preferred embodiments, however, it will be appreciated that various modifications and improvements may be made to the described embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention. 

1. A system for providing communications over a power distribution system having a medium voltage power line, a plurality of low voltage power lines extending to customer residences, and a first transformer coupling the medium voltage power line to the low voltage power lines, the system comprising: an aggregation device having a first modem communicatively coupled to the medium voltage power line, said aggregation device further including a backhaul interface configured to provide communications via a backhaul link; a first transformer bypass device having a second modem communicatively coupled to the medium voltage power line for communications with said first modem; said first transformer bypass device further including a third modem configured to communicate with a plurality of communications devices at customer premises; said first transformer bypass device further including a router in communication with said second modem and said third modem; and wherein said first transformer bypass device provides a data path between the medium voltage power line and one or more communications devices at customer premises thereby bypassing the first transformer and wherein voltages of the medium voltage power line are not conducted to the plurality of low voltage power line by said first transformer bypass device.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein said aggregation device further comprises a coupling device forming at least part of a data path between said first modem and the medium voltage power line.
 3. The system of claim 2, wherein said coupling device comprises an inductive coupling mechanism.
 4. The system of claim 2, wherein said coupling device comprises magnetically permeable toroid disposed substantially around the circumference of the medium voltage power line and a winding coupled to said toroid.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein said backhaul interface is configured to communicate via a fiber optic cable.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein said backhaul interface is configured to provide wirelessly communications.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein said first modem and said second modem are configured to communicate using Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing.
 8. The system of claim 1, wherein the third modem is communicatively coupled to the one or more communications devices via the low voltage power lines.
 9. The system of claim 8, wherein the one or more communications devices each includes a unique address.
 10. The system of claim 8, wherein said third modem is configured to communicate using Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing.
 11. The system of claim 8, wherein said first transformer bypass device communicates video data.
 12. The system of claim 1, wherein the third modem is communicatively coupled to the one or more communications devices via a wireless link.
 13. The system of claim 12, wherein said transformer bypass device further comprises a power coupler configured to inductively draw power from the medium voltage power line.
 14. The system of claim 13, wherein said transformer bypass device further comprises a power supply configured to receive power from said power coupler and to supply power to said second modem.
 15. The system of claim 1, wherein said transformer bypass device further comprises a power coupler configured to inductively draw power from the medium voltage power line.
 16. The system of claim 15, wherein said transformer bypass device further comprises a power supply configured to receive power from said power coupler and to supply power to said second modem.
 17. The system of claim 1, wherein the third modem is communicatively coupled to the one or more communications devices via a fiber optic cable wireless link.
 18. The system of claim 1, wherein said router is configured to prioritize transmission of data received from the one or more communications devices.
 19. The system of claim 1, wherein said first transformer bypass device communicates telephony data.
 20. The system of claim 1, wherein said first transformer bypass device communicates video data.
 21. The system of claim 1, wherein the power distribution system comprises a second transformer coupled to the medium voltage power line, the system further comprising: a second transformer bypass device having a fourth modem communicatively coupled to the medium voltage power line for communications with said first modem; said second transformer bypass device further including a fifth modem configured to communicate with a plurality of communications devices at customer premises; said second transformer bypass device further including a second router in communication with said fourth modem and said fifth modem; and wherein said second transformer bypass device provides a data path between the medium voltage power line and one or more communications devices at customer premises thereby bypassing the second transformer.
 22. A method of using a communication system to provide communications between a first and second communication device and a point of presence, the system comprising a bypass device in communication with an aggregation device via a medium voltage power line, the method comprising: at the bypass device: receiving a first data signal from the first communication device; demodulating the first data signal to provide first data; receiving a second data signal from the second communication device; demodulating the second data signal to provide second data; prioritizing the first and second data to determine transmission data; modulating a signal with the transmission data to form a transmission signal; and transmitting the transmission signal over the medium voltage power line; and at the aggregation device: receiving the transmission signal from the medium voltage power line; demodulating the transmission signal to provide transmitted data; and transmitting the transmitted data to the point of presence.
 23. The method of claim 22, wherein the transmission data comprises telephony data.
 24. The method of claim 22, wherein the transmission data comprises Internet data.
 25. The method of claim 22, wherein the transmission data comprises video data.
 26. The method of claim 22, wherein the transmission data comprises audio data.
 27. The method of claim 22, wherein the modulating comprising Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing.
 28. The method of claim 22, where transmitting the transmitted data comprises wirelessly transmitting the transmitted data.
 29. A method of using a communication system to provide communications between a communication device and a point of presence, the system comprising a bypass device in communication with an aggregation device in via a medium voltage power line, the method comprising: at the aggregation device: receiving first data transmitted from the point of presence; and transmitting the first data over the medium voltage power line in a first data signal; at the bypass device: receiving the first data signal; demodulating the first data signal to provide a first data packet; determining a destination of the first data packet; modulating a signal with the first data packet to form a transmission signal; and transmitting the transmission signal over a low voltage power line to the communication device.
 30. The method of claim 29, wherein the first data comprises telephony data.
 31. The method of claim 29, wherein the first data comprises Internet data.
 32. The method of claim 29, wherein the first data comprises video data.
 33. The method of claim 29, wherein the first data comprises audio data.
 34. The method of claim 29, wherein the modulating comprising Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing.
 35. The method of claim 29, where transmitting the transmission signal comprises Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing modulation of a signal with the first data packet. 